THOUSANDS of people in Basingstoke and Deane are still waiting for their council tax rebate from the borough council.

The government announced that those in bands A to D properties will receive £150 council tax rebate to mitigate rising energy costs, with these paid out from the start of April.

Read more: Council tax rebate details sent to eligible households in Basingstoke

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the plans in February which will see around 20 million households in England benefit from a £3bn council tax rebate which does not have to be repaid.

It is part of a package of government measures to help families with rising energy costs.

However, in Basingstoke and Deane, 8,920 households (16 per cent) are still waiting to receive the money.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s executive director of corporate services, Sue Cuerden, said: “We have been working hard to develop a scheme locally in order to pay residents as quickly as possible.

“Our first payments to residents in bands A to D were made in mid-April and to date we have paid a total of £7,024,950 to 46,833 households. This is just over 84 per cent of those eligible for the rebate.

“We have also paid just over £45,450 in discretionary funding payments for residents who are not in bands A to D but have requested support. Applications for these payments remain open until Friday, 30 September 2022.”

Deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and property Cllr John Izett said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to deliver this vital financial support to 84 per cent of our eligible residents, with a further 3.67 per cent of applications currently being processed.

“Our team has worked incredibly hard to administer this one-off payment to residents as quickly as possible following guidance from the government.

“To deliver this funding quickly, payments were automatically paid to direct debit payers’ accounts. Residents who do not pay by direct debit are required to complete an application form which was launched on Tuesday 26 April.

“We have directly contacted residents who do not pay by direct debit or are eligible for our discretionary scheme in writing in early May and through the council’s communication channels so they can complete the application form as soon as possible to receive this funding.

“We want to provide this important financial support to those remaining eligible residents quickly and get this message shared as widely as possible.

“For more information visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/ctax-energy-rebate, email ctrebate@basingstoke.gov.uk or call 01256 844844.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.